Deterrian Shackelford has been as much a leader in the community as he has been on the gridiron. (photo by Joshua McCoy)

July 15, 2014

NORTHBROOK, Ill. - For the second straight year, Ole Miss' Deterrian Shackelford (Decatur, Alabama) has been nominated for the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team®, which is one of the most coveted and prestigious off-the-field honors in college football.

The award recognizes players whose charitable involvement and community service contributions stand out among all other student-athletes participating in the sport.

Shackelford fits that mold, and then some.

The Rebels' first-string middle linebacker enters his sixth football season at Ole Miss this fall and is a team leader both on and off the field.

On the gridiron, Shackelford returned last year after missing the 2011 and 2012 seasons due to ACL surgeries. He racked up 44 tackles with 7.5 TFLs and two sacks playing both linebacker and defensive end. This spring, he became the first ever two-time winner of the Chucky Mullins Courage Award and will wear No. 38 on the field this year in Mullins' honor.

Shackelford graduated in three years with a bachelor's degree in history and a minor in English and is completing a master's degree in higher education this summer. He is a five-time selection to the SEC Academic Honor Roll and was a semifinalist for the 2013 National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete Award.

Shackelford's many community activities include Relay for Life, the Oxford Food Pantry, Reading with the Rebels and a dunking booth that raised funds for cancer patients. He has spent his last two spring breaks on mission trips to Panama and Haiti and his 2011 summer as a pre-college program counselor at Ole Miss. He has also participated in a number of service projects as a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.

Since its establishment in 1992, the AFCA Good Works Team® has existed to pay tribute to the "good" in college football that extends beyond the wins and the losses. While balancing academics and athletics, this select group of student-athletes nominated by their respective colleges and universities has committed their limited free time to having a lasting impact on their communities.

"Year after year, the `good works' associated with this impressive group of student-athletes continue to inspire and raise the bar for future nominees," said Jim Haskins, president of Allstate's West Territory and a member of the 2014 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® voting panel. "Allstate is proud to be a part of an award that recognizes the importance of giving back to the communities where we live, work and cheer on game day."

While heroes emerge on the gridiron each Saturday, this year's nominees' heroics extend beyond touchdowns and tackles. From establishing an epilepsy awareness campaign that has touched the lives of more than 100,000 families to founding a book club program to provide at-risk youth with safe and structured after-school activities, the impressive service resumes of these remarkable student-athletes has earned them recognition on a national level.

"It's great to see all the `good works' these student-athletes are doing at their universities and in their communities," Grant Teaff, AFCA executive director said. "The AFCA is proud to work with Allstate in highlighting the record number of nominees sent in for the 2014 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team®."

Comprised of 11 players from the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision and 11 players from the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision, Divisions II, III and the NAIA, the final roster of 22 award recipients will be unveiled in September. From the nominees submitted by sports information directors across the nation on behalf of their schools, a special voting panel consisting of former Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® members and prominent college football media members will select the 2014 Good Works Team.®

Once the final team members are announced in September, fans are encouraged to visit the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® website on ESPN.com, featuring profiles and images of the players, for the opportunity to vote for the 2014 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® Captain.

In order to meet the criteria set forth by Allstate and the AFCA, each player must be actively involved and committed to working with a charitable organization or service group while maintaining a strong academic standing.

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